Protective cases with integrated electronics

ABSTRACT

A protective case for a wireless electronics device includes one or more output devices integrated with or bonded to the protective case, from which a perceivable output (e.g., visible or audible indication) is generated. Various other electronics (e.g., circuit elements, ICs, microcontrollers, sensors) also may be integrated with or bonded to the protective case to provide power and/or one or more output signals to control the output device(s). In one example, a wireless signal generated by the wireless device is sensed by the integrated electronics, and the output device(s) are controlled based on the detected wireless signal. The protective case may be substantially rigid or at least partially deformable (flexible and/or stretchable), and the integrated electronics similarly may be at least partially deformable such that they may conform with various contours of the protective case and remain operative notwithstanding flexing and/or stretching of the case.

PRIORITY

The present application is a U.S. National Phase application of PCT/US2010/051196, filed on Oct. 1, 2010, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/247,933, filed on Oct. 1, 2009, entitled “Protective Polymeric Skins That Detect and Respond to Wireless Signals,” which applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Wireless electronic devices such as cellular phones, smart phones, a variety of portable/personal computing devices (e.g., personal digital assistants or “PDAs”), electronic book readers, video game consoles, and the like have become ubiquitous globally as a direct result of important advances in integrated circuit (ICs) designs and packaging of these ICs with increasing spatial densities. Communication towers, which populate most urban centers, typically communicate with wireless devices during data and voice transmission. Consequently, wireless devices serve as a focal point of contact with the towers, as they constantly receive and emit wireless signals carrying data. The wireless signals carrying data are transmitted as radio waves over a narrow band of frequencies. The presence of these signals can be detected by other devices in close proximity (e.g., at a distance from approximately 0.1 cm to 3 cm).

Cellular phone accessory manufacturers have exploited the ability to sense radio waves at close proximities so as to create appealing visual cues when a cellular phone receives an incoming call. For example, various components of the cellular phone itself can be made to flash brightly with different colors and time sequences in response to an incoming call. In particular, in some conventional implementations, the cellular phone may be configured such that one or more of the battery, antenna, or keyboard of the cellular phone are equipped with light-generating components that may be responsive to wireless signals representing incoming calls. Accessories such as key-chains and pens also are available with similar capabilities (i.e., light-generation in response to wireless signals in close proximity representing incoming calls to cellular phones; see e.g. www.cell-phone-accessories.com, www.cellphone-antenna-hologram.com, www.1^(st)-cellphone-accessories.com).

SUMMARY

Another popular and useful accessory for a wireless electronics device is a protective case (also commonly referred to as a protective cover or “skin”). Conventional protective cases for wireless devices come in a variety of configurations and sizes and are made of a variety of materials (e.g., silicone, acrylic, other hybrid materials, leather, gels, etc.). Exemplary popular cases include substantially rigid versions (e.g., to afford more significant protection from mechanical shock such as dropping or other impact) as well as somewhat more deformable/flexible versions (e.g., to offer lighter-weight modest protection against nominal wear and tear and scratching).

FIGS. 1A-1D illustrate various examples of conventional protective cases for wireless devices such as cellular phones or smart phones (similar cases are available for other types of wireless devices). As may be readily appreciated from FIGS. 1A-1D, some types of cases substantially enclose the wireless device, whereas other types of cases only partially envelop the wireless device (e.g., to allow access to a display, keyboard, and/or electronic connector of the device). Conventional protective cases for wireless devices do not include any electronic functionality; rather, they serve primarily to physically protect the device in some manner. In some instances such cases provide other mechanical functionality (e.g., clipping to a belt or attaching to another device) and/or include passive decorative/ornamental features (e.g., different colors of materials used for the case, designs or patterns printed on the case, etc.).

As noted above, in addition to the routine communications-related functionality of a typical cellular phone, some cellular phones are configured so as to provide visible light indications in connection with incoming calls (e.g., lighted battery, antenna, or keyboard). The inventors have recognized and appreciated that such visible indications may be partially or completely masked when such a wireless device is placed into a protective case; in particular, even if a case does not substantially enclose but only partially envelops a wireless device when it is placed into the case, in some instances the case may hide light-generated indications that are provided by some component/element of the wireless device itself.

More generally, the inventors have recognized and appreciated that many types of conventional protective cases for a variety of wireless devices have some amount of useable surface area that may serve to implement some functionality beyond mere protection of the wireless device, mechanical functionality such as clipping or attaching, and/or decoration/ornamentation.

In view of the foregoing, various inventive embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to protective cases with integrated electronics. In exemplary implementations described in further detail below, protective cases may be substantially rigid or deformable (e.g., flexible and/or stretchable), or partially rigid and partially deformable, and may be made of a variety of materials (e.g., polymers, elastomers, vinyl, leather, paper). Protective cases according to various embodiments also may be configured so as to substantially enclose or only partially envelop any of a variety of wireless devices (e.g., mobile/portable devices such as cell phones, smart phones, PDAs gaming devices, electronic book readers, other portable computing devices, etc.), and may have a variety of physical attributes (different sizes, shapes, colors, transparencies, decorative/ornamental features, mechanical features for clipping and attaching, shock protection features, ventilation features, etc.).

In exemplary embodiments, various electronics may be integrated with the protective case by bonding the electronics to the case or physically integrating the electronics with the material of the case in some manner. To this end, in some embodiments the integrated electronics themselves are at least partially deformable (e.g., flexible and/or stretchable) such that they may conform with various contours of the protective case and remain operative notwithstanding flexing and/or stretching of the case. As discussed in greater detail below, deformable electronics for integration with a protective case may be realized as significantly thin devices made of any of a variety of materials (e.g., amorphous silicon, polycrystalline silicon, single-crystal silicon, conductive oxides, carbon nanotubes, organic materials) and fabricated/processed via any of a variety of fabrication/processing techniques (e.g., sputtering, metal evaporation, chemical vapor deposition, ink jet printing, organic material deposition, various patterning techniques such as photolithography, mechanical grinding, chemical etching, plasma etching, etc.) to facilitate integration with a protective case.

In other aspects of various embodiments disclosed herein, electronics integrated with a protective case may include one or more wireless sensing devices to detect wireless signals generated by a wireless device when placed in the protective case. The integrated electronics also may include one or more power sources (e.g., thin film battery, solar cells, inductive circuits), electronic controllers (e.g., state machine, microcontroller, microprocessor, etc.), various other circuit elements or integrated circuits, interconnects, input devices such as various environmental sensors (e.g., thermocouples, accelerometers, pressure sensors) and one or more output devices (e.g., LEDs, acoustic speakers) to provide a perceivable output (e.g., a visible or audible indication) based on detected wireless signals.

In exemplary implementations discussed in detail below, the integrated electronics may be configured to provide any of a variety of perceivable outputs from the protective case based on detection of wireless signals themselves and/or some aspect of a data content of detected wireless signals. For example, one or more LEDs serving as visible output devices may be controlled to generate flashing and/or multicolored lighting patterns, and/or one or more acoustic speakers serving as audible output devices may be controlled to generate various musical tones or patterns, based at least in part on detection of a wireless signal or data contained therein (e.g., caller identification, message type, etc.)

In sum, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to an apparatus, comprising: a case configured to at least partially envelop a mobile and/or wireless electronics device; an electronic controller integrated with or bonded to the case such that the case serves as a substrate for the electronic controller, the electronic controller providing at least one of power and at least one output signal; and at least one output device communicatively coupled to the electronic controller, and integrated with or bonded to the case, to provide at least one perceivable output based at least in part on the at least one output signal and/or the power provided by the electronic controller.

Another embodiment is directed to a method performed in an apparatus comprising a wireless electronics device disposed in a protective case, wherein the protective case comprises at least one output device integrated with or bonded to the protective case. The method for communicating information relating to operation of the wireless electronics device comprises: A) generating at least one perceivable output from the at least one output device based at least in part on at least one wireless signal generated by the wireless electronics device.

Another embodiment is directed to a protective case for a wireless electronics device. The protective case comprises a deformable substrate configured to at least partially envelop the wireless electronics device, and an at least partially deformable electronic controller integrated with or bonded to the deformable substrate. The electronic controller comprises at least one wireless sensing device to detect at least one wireless input signal generated by the wireless electronic device when placed in the protective case, and at least one electronic circuit element communicatively coupled to the at least one wireless sensing device to provide at least one output signal based at least in part on the at least one wireless input signal. The protective case further comprises a plurality of LEDs communicatively coupled to the electronic controller, and integrated with or bonded to the deformable case, to provide at least one visible output based at least in part on at the least one output signal provided by the electronic controller.

For purposes of the present disclosure, the term “island/s” refers to discrete regions of silicon or other material containing various electronic devices (e.g., integrated circuitry and other electronic components) that are separated from each other by interconnects or bridges.

The term “interconnect” refers to a material connecting two or more islands, wherein the material is capable of undergoing a variety of flexions and strains such as stretching, bending, tension, compression, flexing, twisting, and the like, in one or more directions, without adversely impacting electrical connection to, or electrical conduction from, a device island or affecting the performance of the device island. Displacement of interconnects perpendicular to the substrate that supports the electronic device islands is particularly important. Various metals may be used for interconnects including, but not limited to, copper, silver, gold, aluminum and the like, alloys. Suitable conductive materials also may be used for interconnects, including semiconductors such as silicon, indium tin oxide, or GaAs.

The term “flexible” refers to the ability of a material, structure, device or device component to be deformed into a curved shape without undergoing permanent deformation or a transformation that introduces significant strain, such as strain characterizing the failure point of a material, structure, device or device component. The term “flexible” is used synonymously with “foldable” and “bendable.”

The term “stretchable” refers to the ability of a material, structure, device or device component to be strained in tension without undergoing permanent deformation or failure such as fracture. Stretchable systems are also considered flexible.

The term “deformable” refers to “flexible” and/or “stretchable.”

The term “electronic device” broadly refers to a set of components that when combined form a functional electronic system which can stand alone or is a subsystem of a larger electronic system. Examples of such electronic devices include, but are not limited to, integrated circuits, stretchable LED arrays, thermocouple arrays, pressure sensor arrays and accelerometers. An electronic device may also refer to a component of an electronic device such as passive or active components, semiconductors, interconnects, contact pads, transistors, diodes, LEDs, circuits, etc.

The term “component” is used broadly to refer to a material or individual element used in a device.

The term “functional layer” refers to a device layer that imparts some functionality to the device. For example, the functional layer may be a thin film such as a semiconductor layer. Alternatively, the functional layer may comprise multiple layers, such as multiple semiconductor layers separated by support layers. The functional layer may comprise a plurality of patterned elements, such as interconnects running between device-receiving pads. It may also include electronic devices/components such as pre-fabricated, functional electronics which may be integrated circuits, complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS) devices/components, single crystalline semiconductor materials (e.g. <1,1,1> Si, GaAs), other semiconductor material (amorphous Si, polysilicon, semiconductive organic polymers, etc), and a variety of pre-fabricated functioning electronics block.

The term “ultrathin” refers to devices of thin geometries that exhibit extreme levels of bendability. Such devices typically are less than 30 micrometers in thickness.

The terms “wireless device,” “wireless electronics device,” “mobile device,” “portable electronics device,” and similar terms refer generally to portable (e.g., handheld) electronic devices such as mobile phones (cellular phones, smart phones), personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld computers, laptop computers, video game consoles and other gaming devices, electronic book readers, and the like. Such devices generally may receive and/or transmit wireless signals attendant to some communication functionality.

It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. It should also be appreciated that terminology explicitly employed herein that also may appear in any disclosure incorporated by reference should be accorded a meaning most consistent with the particular concepts disclosed herein.

The foregoing and other aspects, embodiments, and features of the present teachings can be more fully understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The skilled artisan will understand that the figures, described herein, are for illustration purposes only. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention. In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to like features, functionally similar and/or structurally similar elements throughout the various figures. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the teachings. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present teachings in any way.

FIGS. 1A through 1D illustrate examples of conventional protective cases for wireless/portable electronic devices.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a protective case for a wireless electronics device, wherein the protective case includes integrated electronics according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary implementation of an electronic controller and output device(s) integrated with or bonded to a portion of a protective case shown in FIG. 2 based on electronic device islands and deformable interconnects between the islands, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing additional details of an electronic controller constituting a portion of the integrated electronics for the protective case of FIG. 2, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of integrated electronics for the protective case, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a protective case including integrated electronics based at least in part on the circuit of FIG. 5 and multiple LEDs serving as output devices integrated with or bonded to the protective case, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Following below are more detailed descriptions of various concepts related to, and embodiments of, inventive systems, methods and apparatus relating to protective cases with integrated electronics. It should be appreciated that various concepts introduced above and discussed in greater detail below may be implemented in any of numerous ways, as the disclosed concepts are not limited to any particular manner of implementation. Examples of specific implementations and applications are provided primarily for illustrative purposes.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a protective case 100 for a wireless electronics device 50, wherein the protective case includes integrated electronics according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the integrated electronics includes an electronic controller 102 integrated with or bonded to the case 100 such that the case serves as a substrate for the electronic controller. The integrated electronics also may include one or more output devices 110 coupled to the electronic controller 102 and integrated with or bonded to the case 100 to provide at least one perceivable output (e.g., visible and/or audible indications). As discussed further below, the electronic controller 102 may include a power source 106 to provide power (e.g., to the output device(s) 110), as well as electronic circuitry 104 to provide one or more output signals 108 to control the output device(s) so as to generate the perceivable output.

For purposes of illustration in FIG. 2, the electronic controller 102 and the output device(s) 110 are shown disposed on a front facing surface 113 of the case 100. However, it should be appreciated that one or both of the electronic controller 102 and the output device(s) may be integrated with and/or bonded to the case in a variety of manners and in a variety of locations on the case; in particular, various components/elements of the electronic controller and/or the output device(s) may be disposed in a distributed or localized manner on the case on any one or more of the surfaces/faces of the case (e.g., side portion 114 and/or the bottom portion 112 of the case depicted in FIG. 2).

In various aspects of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the protective case 100 may be substantially rigid, or at least a portion of the protective case may be deformable (e.g., flexible and/or stretchable). Generally speaking, in exemplary implementations the protective case is constructed of a material that has a lower modulus than that of the wireless electronic device it protects. In this manner, the protective case may be configured so as to protect the wireless device, when placed in the case, from mechanical shock or impact in that the case will absorb some of the shock/impact that may otherwise have been transferred directly to the wireless device. A degree of protection against shock/impact may at least in part be related to the rigidity or elasticity of the material(s) employed for the protective case; in any event, it should be appreciated that both substantially rigid as well as at least partially deformable cases are contemplated in connection with the inventive embodiments disclosed herein.

More specifically, in some embodiments at least a part of the protective case 100 may include multiple segments or portions having respective different levels of rigidity or elasticity. For example, while a front face 113 of the case shown in FIG. 2 may employ a substantially rigid material, one or more of the side face 114 and the bottom face 112 of the case may employ a deformable material. Furthermore, all or some portion of the case 100 may be translucent, transparent, colored, or patterned for either functional or decorative purposes. In one example, the case 100 may include one or more discontinuities or cut patterns 116 to facilitate ventilation and or access to one or more features of the wireless device 50 when placed in the case 100.

With respect to materials employed for the case 100, exemplary materials include, but are not limited to, various polymers (e.g., polydimethylsiloxane or PDMS), vinyl, leather and paper. Furthermore, the case may substantially enclose or only partially envelop the wireless device when placed in the case. Generally speaking, the case may have a cross-sectional thickness in a range of between approximately 200 micrometers to 2 millimeters, although other thicknesses are possible.

With respect to the wireless electronic device 50, protective cases for a variety of electronic devices are contemplated in connection with the inventive concepts disclosed herein. Examples of wireless devices for which protective cases may be integrated with electronics according to various embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a gaming console, an electronic book reader, and a portable computing device.

Regarding the electronic controller 102 integrated with or bonded to the protective case 100 shown in FIG. 2, in some embodiments all or a portion of the electronic controller may be deformable (i.e., flexible and/or stretchable), such that they may be integrated with various contours of the protective case and/or remain operative notwithstanding flexing and/or stretching of the case. In a manner similar to that described above in connection with the protective case, all or some part of the electronic controller may include multiple portions/segments having respective different levels of rigidity or elasticity. Likewise, in some implementations, so as to facilitate deformability, the electronic controller as fabricated for bonding to/integration with the protective case may have a cross-sectional thickness in a range of between approximately 200 micrometers to 2 millimeters.

In some implementations, the electronic controller 102 includes one or more electronic circuit elements formed of a semiconductor material, examples of which include, but are not limited to, amorphous silicon, polycrystalline silicon, single-crystal silicon, at least one conductive oxide, carbon nanotubes, and at least one organic material. Such electronic circuit elements may be formed by various fabrication processes including one or more of sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, ink jet printing, and organic material deposition combined with patterning techniques. In yet other implementations, the electronic controller may include one or more “commercial-off-the-shelf” (COTS) components, which in some instances may be subjected to a thinning process comprising one or more of mechanical grinding, chemical etching, and plasma etching to facilitate deformability.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the electronic controller 102 and output device(s) 110 integrated with or bonded to a portion of a protective case 100 shown in FIG. 2 based on electronic component islands and deformable interconnects between the islands, according to one embodiment of the present invention. In particular, the electronic controller 102 includes multiple electronic component islands 200 and multiple flexible and/or stretchable conductive interconnects 202 disposed so as to electrically interconnect at least some of the electronic component islands. In exemplary implementations discussed in further detail below, the interconnects 202 may be formed by a fabrication process comprising one or more of sputtering, metal evaporation, and photolithography. In one implementation, one or more of the interconnects may be implemented as a serpentine pattern 204 of conductive metal. The output device(s) 110 similarly may be implemented as multiple electronic component islands 200 electrically connected by flexible and/or stretchable interconnects 202 (which may include one or more serpentine patterns 204 of conductors). While not shown explicitly in FIG. 3, an assembly similar to that shown in FIG. 3 may further include a layer of elastomeric material to at least partially encapsulate the electronic controller and/or the output device(s) so as to protect them from moisture and/or mechanical degradation.

Further details of a variety of fabrication techniques and steps for providing deformable electronics integrated with or bonded to a protective case are discussed in greater detail below.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing additional details of the electronic controller 102 constituting a portion of the integrated electronics for the protective case of FIG. 2, according to one embodiment of the present invention. As noted above in connection with FIG. 2, the controller may include a power source 106. Examples of suitable power sources include, but are not limited to, a thin film battery 122, a solar cell array 124, and one or more inductive coupling circuits 126.

Regarding a thin film battery 122, such a battery with a 225 mAh power rating may last for as long as 4 years with above average usage (e.g., 25 incoming calls, output devices including an array of approximately 500 LEDs 20.0 mm×3.2 mm). Conventional coin batteries also may be employed. With respect to a solar cell array 124, such an array may be implemented based on the island/interconnect arrangement discussed above, in which rigid/semi-rigid solar modules and deformable interconnects are integrated with or bonded to the protective case, so as to facilitate global flexing and stretching of the solar cell array. Solar cell modules for this application may either be COTS devices, or they may be fabricated monolithically on a semiconductor wafer (e.g., silicon, GaAs). These components may then be integrated, via power line connectors (deformable interconnects), to other electronic components of the electronic controller 102. In a similar manner, an arrangement of inductive coupling circuits 126 may be integrated with other relevant circuitry and then bonded to the protective case to serve as a power source 106.

As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic controller 102 also may include a wireless sensing device 142 to detect a wireless input signal 144, a state machine or microcontroller 140 communicatively coupled to the wireless sensing device, and an output driver 138 communicatively coupled to the state machine/microcontroller 140 to provide one or more output signals 108 to one or more output devices integrated with or bonded to the protective case. Any one or more of these components constituting the controller 102 may include one or more resistors, capacitors, diodes, transistors, logic gates and integrated circuits.

In one embodiment, the output signal 108 generated by the output driver 138 shown in FIG. 4 is based at least in part on the wireless input signal 144 detected by the wireless sensing device 142. The wireless sensing device 142 may include one or more sensor coils to detect the wireless input signal, and may further be a Bluetooth device. In one aspect, the wireless sensing device is configured to analyze a data content of the wireless input signal, and the state machine or microcontroller 140 controls the output driver to provide an output signal 108 that in turn controls the output device(s) to provide one or more perceivable outputs based at least in part on the data content of the wireless input signal. In particular, the data content may include a caller identification and/or a message type, and this content may be analyzed to generate an output signal to control the output device(s) so as to provide the at least one perceivable output based at least in part on the caller identification and/or the message type. In one exemplary implementation, the wireless sensing device is disposed to be within three centimeters of the wireless electronic device (which typically is not an issue when the wireless device resides in the protective case) and detects wireless input signals generated or received by the wireless device, wherein the wireless input signals are representative of an incoming call, message and/or notification to the wireless device. In turn, different types of messages, or messages from different individuals, may be identified via unique perceivable outputs (e.g., particular visible light patterns or audible sounds/patterns).

As also shown in FIG. 4, the electronic controller 102 may include one or more sensors 128, coupled to the state machine or microcontroller 140, to sense one or more environmental conditions proximate to the protective case 100. The state machine/microcontroller 140 may in turn control the output driver 138 to generate one or more output signals 108 to control the output device(s) to provide one or more perceivable outputs based at least in part on the sensed environmental conditions. Examples of sensors 128 include, but are not limited to, one or more thermocouples 130, accelerometers 132, pressure sensors 134, and acoustic sensors (e.g., microphones) 136. Accordingly, perceivable outputs generated by the output device(s) may be based on ambient temperature proximate to the wireless device, sounds coming from the wireless device, and/or mechanical shock or impact to the wireless device.

For example, in one embodiment an acoustic sensing device is included in the electronic controller to measure sounds coming from the wireless device, and audible and/or visible outputs provided by the output device(s) may be synchronized with the sensed sounds (e.g., a ring tone of the wireless device). In another embodiment, one or more accelerometers and/or pressure sensors may be included in the electronic controller to provide mechanical shock and impact data to the microcontroller 140. The microcontroller in turn generates output signals to control the output device(s) based on the shock/impact; in an implementation including multicolored light emitting diodes (LEDs) as output devices (discussed further below), different colors of visible light may be correlated to degree of shock/impact (e.g., red light: high impact; orange light: medium impact; blue light: low impact). Feedback on impact or fall is thus delivered with visual color cues, to let a user of the wireless device know if the wireless device was harmed as a direct result of mechanical trauma.

In yet another embodiment, the electronic controller includes one or more thermocouples to provide temperature information to the microcontroller. With reference again to an exemplary implementation involving multicolored LEDs as output devices, the color of visible light provided as a perceivable output may be correlated to sensed ambient temperature (e.g., red light: hot>90 F; orange light: 50-90 F; blue light<50 F). For situations in which the wireless device has been exposed to extreme temperatures for periods of time sufficient to cause damage of components, a particular type of indication may be activated (e.g., flashing red lights for some period of time) to notify a user of the wireless device of this condition.

With respect to output devices, with reference again to FIG. 2, and as introduced immediately above, the output device(s) 110 integrated with or bonded to the protective case 100 may include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). In one exemplary implementation, multiple LEDs of different colors may be employed so as to generate a wide variety of time-varying and color-varying visible indications or patterns on the protective case (e.g., flashing patterns of a same color, dynamic color variation over time, etc.). In particular, the output device(s) may include a dense arrays of microscale LEDs (e.g., approximately 250 micrometers by 250 micrometers) that may provide high density colored patterns on the protective case upon receiving incoming wireless signals. As discussed above in connection with FIG. 3, the LEDs may be distributed in a flexible and stretchable form via metal interconnects in a serpentine configuration or in another configuration that allows the interconnects to be displaced perpendicular to a substrate constituted by the protective case. The LED components can withstand significant stretching during operation with such a design.

In addition to or alternatively to one or more LEDs, the output device(s) 110 may include one or more acoustic speakers to generate audible indications as perceivable outputs. In one exemplary implementation, one or more microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) may be employed for the acoustic speaker(s) to provide a perceivable output in the form of one or more musical tones or other audible indicator (such speakers are capable of generating 20-30 dB SPL sound levels). For example, the microcontroller may be configured to drive the acoustic speaker(s) so as to generate a pre-recorded sequence (e.g., 20 to 30 sec duration) of musical tones upon incoming data transmission to the wireless device (such as an incoming call). This feature can help save battery lifespan of the phone. Ultrathin MEMS systems may be disposed on the protective case as distributed arrays with dimensions comparable to those of the LEDs (e.g., approximately 250 micrometers by 250 micrometers) and patterned using similar fabrication techniques as described above for other electronic components.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of integrated electronics for the protective case, according to one embodiment of the present invention, including electronic circuitry 104 and a power source 106 to implement the electronic controller 102, and a plurality of LEDs 118 serving as output devices 110. In the circuit of FIG. 5, the wireless sensing device is implemented by a sensor coil or inductor that generates a signal in response to a wireless input signal 144 representing an incoming call to a wireless device such as a cell phone. In turn, the circuitry of the controller 102 generates a visible indicator via the LEDs 188 in the form of flashing light. In particular, the wireless input signal detected by the inductor is amplified by a front-end transistor and used to drive the monostable input pin of a first integrated circuit (a flip-flop). An output of the first integrated circuit (the Q output) is applied to a reset input of a second integrated circuit flip-flop set up as an astable circuit. The flash time and rate may be programmed by using different resistors in the circuit of FIG. 4 (e.g., 20 seconds flash time, 10 times per second flash rate). In one aspect, the integrated circuit of FIG. 5 provide elementary examples of the functionality of a microcontroller and output driver as discussed above in connection with FIG. 4. In other implementations, a more sophisticated state machine/microcontroller may be employed to control the flashing patterns of the LEDs serving as output devices.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a protective case 100 including integrated electronics based at least in part on the circuit of FIG. 5 and multiple LEDs serving as output devices integrated with or bonded to the protective case, according to one embodiment of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 6 illustrates an LED array 118 of n columns and n rows driven by output signal 108 as generated by the electronic controller 102. As discussed above, the LED array may be controlled so as to provide a variety of time-varying and/or dynamic color visible indications as perceivable outputs, in some cases based on an incoming wireless signal to a device placed in the case, and/or certain data content contained in the wireless signal.

With respect to fabrication of deformable electronics to be integrated with or bonded to a protective case for a wireless electronics device, some exemplary fabrication techniques for deformable electronics are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/423,287, entitled “Stretchable Form of Single Crystal Silicon for High Performance Electronics on Rubber Substrates;” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/421,654, entitled “Printable Semiconductor Structures and Related Methods of Making and Assembling;” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/423,192, entitled “Pattern transfer printing by Kinetic Control of Adhesion to an Elastomeric Stamp;” and S.-I. Park et al., “Printed Assemblies of Inorganic Light-Emitting Diodes for Deformable and Semitransparent Displays,” Science 325, 977-981 (2009), each of which publications is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

It should be appreciated that stretchable and/or flexible electronic circuits may be realized by techniques other than those described in the above-identified publications, combinations of these techniques, and deviations of these techniques. For example, stretchable/flexible circuits may be formed on paper, plastic, elastomeric, or other materials by techniques including sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, ink jet printing, or organic material deposition combined with patterning techniques. Semiconductor materials which may be used to make such circuits may include amorphous silicon, polycrystalline silicon, single-crystal silicon, conductive oxides, carbon nanotubes and organic materials.

As an alternative to fabricated components, as discussed above commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components may be utilized together with techniques for interconnecting the components and transfer printing as described in the references above.

For example, a first step in a COTS process to create stretchable and flexible electronics as described herein involves obtaining required electronic devices and components and conductive materials for the functional layer. The electronics are then thinned (if necessary) by using a back grinding process. Alternatively the devices may be manufactured with desired thickness via standard fabrication processes. Many processes are available that can reliably take wafers down to 50 microns. Dicing chips via plasma etching before the grinding process allows further reduction in thickness and can deliver chips down to 20 microns in thickness. For thinning, typically a specialized tape is placed over the processed part of the chip. The bottom of the chip is then thinned using mechanical and/or chemical means. After thinning the chips are transferred to a receiving substrate and the protective tapes are removed. The transfer process (for both thinned and unthinned components) may involve the use of a special soft lithography printing tool as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/423,192, entitled “Pattern transfer printing by Kinetic Control of Adhesion to an Elastomeric Stamp,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Isolated devices are then placed on a rigid receiving substrate for further processing. The receiving substrate may be a flat surface on which stretchable interconnects can be fabricated. In one embodiment of the invention the receiving substrate may comprise a stack of materials layered on top of a silicon wafer, glass pane, or other rigid fab-compatible material. The first layer in contact with the silicon may be a sacrificial layer such as polymethyl methcrylate (PMMA). The sacrificial layer may be patterned to make the final sacrificial etch more controlled. In contact with the sacrificial layer is a flexible or stretchable polymeric substrate such as polyimide (PI) or poly dimethyl siloxane (PDMS) respectively. Also this layer may be partially or fully cured.

The thin dice are picked up via above mentioned high resolution soft lithography tool and placed on top of the receiving substrate. If the receiving substrate is not fully cured, it will be cured after this transfer to embed the die.

A planarization step may then be performed in order to make the top surface of the receiving substrate the same height as that of the die surface. The interconnect fabrication process may now begin. The dice deposited on the receiving substrate are interconnected by metal traces which join bond pads from one device to another. These interconnect may vary from 10 microns to 10 centimeters. The metal traces may be formed by sputtering, metal evaporation and other photolithographic means. A polymeric encapsulating layer is then used to coat the entire array of interconnected electronic devices and components. Subsequently, a pattern, around the encapsulated interconnects and device/component islands, is etched through to the sacrificial layer such that a web of linked islands is formed. Before encapsulation, optional intermediate layers of moisture barrier materials including silicon nitride or silicon carbide may be used.

The web or array of interconnected electronic devices is released from the substrate by etching away all of the sacrificial materials with a solvent such as acetone. The devices are now ready to undergo stretch processing. They are transferred from the rigid carrier substrate to an elastomeric substrate such as PDMS. Just before the transfer to the new substrate, the arrays are pre-treated such that the device/component islands preferentially adhere to the receiving surface leaving the encapsulated interconnects free to be displaced perpendicular to the receiving substrate.

In one embodiment of the COTS process, the interconnect system is a straight metal line connecting two or more bond pads. In this case the electronic array is transferred to a pre-strained elastomeric substrate. Upon relaxation of this substrate the interconnects will be displaced perpendicular to the substrate (outward buckling). This buckling enables stretching of the system.

In another embodiment of the invention, the interconnects are a serpentine pattern of conductive metal. These types of interconnected arrays may be deposited on an unstrained (neutral) elastomeric substrate. The stretchability of the system is enabled by the winding shape of the interconnects.

In one or more of the embodiments, devices are encapsulated by a second layer of elastomeric material to protect them from moisture and mechanical degradation. This material has a modulus from 0.05 to 5 GPa. The fully or partially encapsulated devices may be easily deposited onto receiving substrates such a cell phone skins using methods described in above-referenced publications.

CONCLUSION

All literature and similar material cited in this application, including, but not limited to, patents, patent applications, articles, books, treatises, and web pages, regardless of the format of such literature and similar materials, are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety. In the event that one or more of the incorporated literature and similar materials differs from or contradicts this application, including but not limited to defined terms, term usage, described techniques, or the like, this application controls.

The section headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matter described in any way.

While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is therefore to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.

The above-described embodiments of the invention can be implemented in any of numerous ways. For example, some embodiments may be implemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof. When any aspect of an embodiment is implemented at least in part in software, the software code can be executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided in a single computer or distributed among multiple computers.

In this respect, various aspects of the invention may be embodied at least in part as a computer readable storage medium (or multiple computer readable storage media) (e.g., a computer memory, one or more floppy discs, compact discs, optical discs, magnetic tapes, flash memories, circuit configurations in Field Programmable Gate Arrays or other semiconductor devices, or other tangible computer storage medium or non-transitory medium) encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more computers or other processors, perform methods that implement the various embodiments of the technology discussed above. The computer readable medium or media can be transportable, such that the program or programs stored thereon can be loaded onto one or more different computers or other processors to implement various aspects of the present technology as discussed above.

The terms “program” or “software,” if used herein, are used in a generic sense to refer to any type of computer code or set of computer-executable instructions that can be employed to program a computer or other processor to implement various aspects of the present technology as discussed above. Additionally, it should be appreciated that according to one aspect of this embodiment, one or more computer programs that when executed perform methods of the present technology need not reside on a single computer or processor, but may be distributed in a modular fashion amongst a number of different computers or processors to implement various aspects of the present technology.

Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

Also, the technology described herein may be embodied as a method, of which at least one example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a case configured to at least partially envelop a mobile and/or wireless electronics device; an electronic controller integrated with or bonded to the case such that the case serves as a substrate for the electronic controller, at least a portion of the electronic controller being deformable, the electronic controller providing an output signal, wherein the electronic controller comprises at least one sensor to sense at least one environmental condition proximate to the apparatus; and at least one output device communicatively coupled to the electronic controller, and integrated with or bonded to the case, to provide at least one perceivable output based at least in part on the output signal provided by the electronic controller, wherein the electronic controller comprises a plurality of electronic component islands and a plurality of stretchable conductive interconnects disposed so as to electrically interconnect at least some of the plurality of electronic component islands, and wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one pressure sensor configured to measure a mechanical shock and/or impact to the apparatus or at least one temperature sensor configured to measure an ambient temperature proximate to the apparatus, and wherein the at least one output device comprises a plurality light emitting diodes (LEDs) of different colors, and wherein the output signal controls the LEDs to display different colors correlated to the measured degrees of shock and/or impact or correlated to the sensed ambient temperature.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the case is deformable.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the case is stretchable.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the case comprises a plurality of segments having respective different levels of rigidity or elasticity.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the case is one of translucent, transparent, or colored.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the case comprises an elastomer.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the case partially encloses the mobile and/or wireless electronics device when placed in the case.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the case substantially encloses the mobile and/or wireless electronics device when placed in the case.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the case comprises at least one discontinuity or cut pattern to facilitate ventilation of the mobile and/or wireless electronics device when placed in the case.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the case is configured to protect the mobile and/or wireless electronics device, when placed in the case, from mechanical shock.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the case has a cross-sectional thickness in a range of between approximately 200 micrometers to 1 millimeter.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the mobile and/or wireless electronics device.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile and/or wireless electronics device includes one of a cellular phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a gaming console, an electronic book reader, or a portable computing device.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic controller has a cross-sectional thickness in a range of between approximately 200 micrometers to 1 millimeter.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the electronic controller comprises a plurality of controller segments having respective different levels of rigidity or elasticity.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic controller comprises at least one electronic circuit element formed of a semiconductor material, and wherein the semiconductor material comprises at least one of amorphous silicon, polycrystalline silicon, single-crystal silicon, at least one conductive oxide, carbon nanotubes, or at least one organic material.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one electronic circuit element is formed by a fabrication process comprising one of sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, ink jet printing, or organic material deposition combined with patterning techniques.
 18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic controller comprises at least one commercial off the shelf (COTS) component.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one COTS component is formed by a thinning process comprising at least one of mechanical grinding, chemical etching, or plasma etching.
 20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interconnects are formed by a fabrication process comprising at least one of sputtering, metal evaporation, or photolithography.
 21. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a layer of elastomeric material to at least partially encapsulate the electronic controller so as to protect the electronic controller from moisture and/or mechanical degradation.
 22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic controller comprises: at least one power source; and at least one electronic circuit element to provide the output signal to the at least one output device.
 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one power source comprises at least one thin film battery, an array of solar cells, or at least one inductive coupling circuit.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one electronic circuit element comprises at least one state machine/microcontroller or at least one output driver.
 25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one electronic circuit element comprises at least one of a resistor, a capacitor, a diode, a transistor, a logic gate, or an integrated circuit.
 26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the electronic controller comprises at least one wireless sensing device to detect at least one wireless input signal; and the output signal is based at least in part on the at least one wireless input signal.
 27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the at least one wireless sensing device includes at least one sensor coil, or a Bluetooth device.
 28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein: the at least one wireless sensing device is configured to analyze a data content of the at least one wireless input signal; and the output signal controls the at least one output device based at least in part on the data content of the at least one wireless input signal.
 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the data content comprises at least one of a caller identification and a message type, and wherein the output signal controls the at least one output device to provide the at least one perceivable output based at least in part on the caller identification and/or the message type.
 30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the at least one wireless input signal is generated or received by the mobile and/or wireless device.
 31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the at least one wireless input signal is representative of an incoming call, message and/or notification to the mobile and/or wireless device.
 32. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor further includes at least one acoustic sensing device.
 33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the at least one acoustic sensing device is configured to measure at least one sound coming from the mobile and/or wireless device, and wherein the output signal controls the at least one output device to provide the at least one perceivable output based at least in part on the at least one sound coming from the mobile and/or wireless device.
 34. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes both the at least one pressure sensor and the at least one temperature sensor.
 35. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output signal from the electronic controller controls the plurality of LEDs so as to provide the at least one perceivable output as at least one flashing light pattern on the case.
 36. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one output device includes at least one acoustic speaker.
 37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the at least one acoustic speaker includes a plurality of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
 38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the output signal from the electronic controller controls the at least one acoustic speaker so as to provide the at least one perceivable output as at least one musical tone.
 39. A protective case for a wireless electronics device, the protective case comprising: a deformable substrate configured to at least partially envelop a wireless electronics device; an at least partially stretchable electronic controller integrated with or bonded to the deformable substrate, the electronic controller comprising: at least one wireless sensing device configured to detect at least one wireless input signal generated by the wireless electronics device when placed in the protective case; at least one electronic circuit element communicatively coupled to the at least one wireless sensing device to provide at least one output signal based at least in part on the at least one wireless input signal; and at least one sensor to sense at least one environmental condition proximate to the protective case; and a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) of different colors communicatively coupled to the electronic controller, and integrated with or bonded to the deformable case, to provide at least one visible output based at least in part on the at least one output signal provided by the electronic controller, wherein the at least partially stretchable electronic controller includes a plurality of electronic component islands and a plurality of stretchable conductive interconnects disposed so as to electrically interconnect at least some of the plurality of electronic component islands, the plurality of electronic component islands including the at least one wireless sensing device and the at least one electronic circuit element and, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one pressure sensor configured to measure a mechanical shock and/or impact to the protective case or at least one temperature sensor configured to measure an ambient temperature proximate to the protective case, and wherein the output signal controls the LEDs to display different colors correlated to the measured degrees of shock and/or impact or correlated to the sensed ambient temperature.
 40. The protective case of claim 39, wherein the plurality of electronic component islands further includes the plurality of LEDs.
 41. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the case is flexible.
 42. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the electronic controller is stretchable.
 43. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the electronic controller integrates with contours of the case and remains operative notwithstanding deformation of the case.
 44. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one accelerometer.
 45. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stretchable conductive interconnects includes a serpentine pattern of conductive metal.
 46. The protective case of claim 39, wherein the at least one sensor includes both the at least one pressure sensor and the at least one temperature sensor.
 47. The protective case of claim 39, wherein the plurality of stretchable conductive interconnects includes a serpentine pattern of conductive metal. 